The Future of Press Releases

Why should a press release be a static, text-based artifact anyway? They are not legal contracts. More and more vendors are going to create their own release videos or work with media companies to do so. What do we call the trend? PodPRing? Podflacking? It makes sense because with video you can show, not tell. I am not saying the traditional press release will disappear, just that its utility is changing. Same as the press I guess.

7 comments

Why? Because those of us in the press who are subjected to press releases – the core audience for such things – typically skim through dozens or hundreds of such things a day. I can do that with text. I can’t do that if there are 100 video press releases waiting in my inbox.

I expect some companies will start shipping video PR in the hopes of standing out. And they will stand out: as the ones making unreasonable demands on my time. They’ll go to the end of the line and be least likely to be read/viewed, at least by *this* press dinosaur.

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I see press releases changing in other ways, too. At Jive, our press releases usually go out about a week after we’ve already be been blogging about it and talking to bloggers and other press allowing them to write about it in advance of our “official” communication. For us, the press release becomes a non-event and more of a formality. If we’ve done it right, the buzz gets generated before we ever issue a press release.

Miikosays:

I think the text press release has a place and purpose, such as those mentioned by others here, and is not going away anytime soon. But I do see it evolving with all the whiz-bang bells and whistles that Web 2.0 is bringing.

As for video, I love the idea of having it as an option, but not as a replacement. Also, I suppose the term “press release” is really outdated, because the press is just one target audience. I’m guilty of using that term and suppose I should switch to news release, since a big target audience is current and potential customers.

All the banter that has taken place on this topic ever since Tom Foremski wrote Die! Press release! Die! Die! Die!” is very amusing. It will be interesting to see how it all evolves.

Dallas Hockleysays:

Perhaps on the title bit, to differentiate the more formal and legally satisfying (for public disclosure of material facts) press release could be a net release? Pairing it more to the network and wider accessibility than the preened and filtered (as noted above, by professionals that are paid to do such things) press releases.